The Dragon and the Princess
by Mordae Durgul
Summary: Kintaro is charming all of the Senshi, but are his intentions honorable? And will Usagi decide to join the 'Outer Sexual Deviance' Club? 11 chapters up. Xover of sorts.
1. Chapter 1

The Dragon and the Princess

An Alternate Sailor Moon Romance

Sailor Pluto watched in helpless horror as the event that ruined Crystal Tokyo occurred. She had no way to stop it. Without breaking oaths to her Queen she would ultimately fail. But breaking those oaths meant failure as well. She sagged to the 'ground' in front of the time gate, too exhausted to even cry.

"Don't worry, Pu. Everything still works out for the best."

Pluto turned and stared at Chibbi-Usa. The girl was smirking slightly. She appeared to be about thirteen or so, the same age she usually did when visiting the past. Pluto shook her head trying to clear out the cobwebs that seemed to be forming. There was something odd about Usa, but she couldn't quite identify it.

"How can _that_ be for the best?" She gestured at the scene in the time gate.

Usa's smirk widened. "All I can tell you is that it works out. There's a lot of heartache and pain, but everyone becomes closer and more powerful because of it. Mamoru would have made a weak King. What kind of ruler gives in every time his wife cries? It's much better this way."

A sharp tone interrupted Usa, and she winced. "Oops, said too much. Gotta run Pu. Don't worry though. It all works out." And she disappeared back into the time stream.

Sailor Pluto thought about the encounter. It took several minutes, but she pinned down the difference that was bothering her. This Chibbi-Usa had blue hair instead of pink. She whirled to stare into the time gate. The young man talking with Usagi had blue hair.

Hotaru Tomoe had nothing to fear from her tormenters. She was Sailor Saturn, the Senshi of Silence. But that didn't protect her from their words. It took all her will to ignore them. She wasn't a freak or a mutant. But that didn't stop them from calling her those things. She looked up as the jeering and taunting stopped.

"Is there a problem here?" The senior was very tall. At least as tall as Mamoru if not taller. He had blue hair that trailed to his shoulders in a tail. The new midnight blue Mugen-Gauken Academy uniform seemed to enhance his shoulders and narrow his waist. His sky blue eyes were twinkling merrily as he met Hotaru's gaze.

"None of your business… Sempai?" The boy who had been getting in her face came up short.

The senior gazed down at the boy. "Are you so afraid of talking to her that it takes," he glanced around, "ten of your friends to back you up? If you need assistance, you should ask your sempai." The young man stepped forward.

"Tomoe-san," he started. Her eyes widened in astonishment that he knew her name. "Hyasaka-kun would like to ask you out on a date." He indicated the bully behind him while he winked at Hotaru.

Hotaru flushed. She managed to avoid saying anything rude, barely. "Uhm… I don't think my parents would approve of me dating." She snapped her mouth closed to avoid saying anything else. The blue haired man grinned at her.

"You see, Hyasaka-kun? All you have to do is ask. She's not even rejecting you. Her parents won't let her date yet, so you'll have to pine after her for another year or two. Don't let it get you down."

The boy in question was gaping like koi out of water. His friends were snickering while they dispersed under the gaze of the senior. Hyasaka turned red and ran away. Hotaru was left alone with the older boy.

"Sorry, Tomoe-san. I really do have a tendency to meddle too much."

"No, no. Thank you very much, sempai." She suddenly realized something. "You know me?"

He smiled warmly. "I know _of_ you. I am Ryuzaki Kintaro. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"You know _of_ me?" Hotaru was beginning to feel very foolish as she returned his bow. Her face, hot with embarrassment already, suddenly felt like Makoto's egg pan, as he gently took her elbow and guided her toward the school.

"Ayame-sempai…" He paused, a wave of regret washing over his face. "My sensei made it a point to insure that I was aware of other individuals who might be friends or foes someday." He smiled at her again. "I'm guessing I can count you as a friend." They reached the doors. "Now scoot to class, kohai. And don't think about it too hard, you'll just worry yourself to exhaustion." He gave her elbow a squeeze and pushed her toward her class. She vaguely noticed a number of other students staring at them, but that was forgotten in the rush of the school day.

Somehow Hotaru made it through the day. She was distracted, but as school came to a close she began to notice a distinct silence around her. As if people were halting conversations as she approached and picking them up after she passed. Still, a lot of the outright hostility had vanished, so she wasn't complaining.

Her last class of the day was gym. She was generally excused from the activities, but she had to dress out anyway. Since the Academy had an indoor pool, they were doing swimming this month. Hotaru had none of the grace that Michiru or Ami had in the water, but she could manage to do a lap of the pool without trouble.

She made it through the stretches and the initial lap without problems. The coach told her to stay out of the way in the shallows for the rest of the period as she tested the majority of the class for the swim team. As each student was eliminated they came to wait near Hotaru. Several of them were shooting glances at her, but they didn't seem hostile so she ignored them in favor of paddling back and forth in the unused section of the pool.

"Hey, Tomoe. Isn't that your boyfriend?"

Hotaru wasn't quite sure how she ended up banging her head against the side of the pool. She remembered being surprised that someone was talking to her and even more surprised to see Ryuzaki-sempai on the lifeguard seat. But she was probably stunned the most by the idea that anyone could think that Ryuzaki-sempai was interested in her, let alone her boyfriend.

She came to on her back. Ryuzaki-sempai was kneeling at her side and most of her class was standing around watching. Several of them looked envious. She hacked and coughed as he helped her sit up. He gently thumped her back a couple of times to help her get the last of the water out of her lungs.

"Ayashi-san, Hishori-san, please accompany Tomoe-san and get her under a warm shower. Help her change back to her uniform if she needs it."

"Hai, Sempai," the two girls chorused. They helped Hotaru to her feet and supported her to the shower room. They were silent as they stripped off their swimsuits and stepped under the showers. Hotaru enjoyed the hot spray that she usually missed by being last to shower.

"You're lucky," Ayashi said. "He's gorgeous."

Hishori giggled. "And so quick to dive in after you, too. You didn't arrange that accident on purpose? I would have, just to get him to kiss me."

Hotaru blushed and shook her head. She was too surprised by the friendliness of the girls to deny their assumptions. The gossip continued as they changed into their uniforms. Hotaru was feeling a bit light headed from the things that they were implying. The rest of the class came in and suddenly Hotaru found herself as part of the group. They teased her still, but it was about her new 'boyfriend' and nothing was said about her powers. They treated her just like they treated each other.

"Tomoe-san," the sensei called her out of the mass exodus.

"Yes, Sensei?"

"Will you give this to Ryuzaki-san for me? And thank him for me too. I should have been paying closer attention, but I was timing those last two. Look's like we've got a good chance at the swim meets this year."

"Yes, Sensei."

"Oh, and Tomoe-san? Next time you want to make out with your boyfriend, sneak off behind the bleachers, like everyone else." The Sensei giggled at her expression. "Don't worry, Tomoe-san. If I had a hunk like that as my boyfriend, I'd be trying to make out with him as much as possible. Just don't get hurt." And she disappeared back into her office, leaving Hotaru holding an envelope.

"There you are." Haruka was looking a bit concerned as Hotaru came out of the school a bit late. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine Haruka-papa," Hotaru said. "I just have to give this note to Sempai."

"Note?" Haruka reached for the envelope. Just before she reached it Hotaru saw Ryuzaki-sempai and ran toward him waving the letter.

"Sempaieeee!" She tripped. Right into his arms.

"Nice to see you again, Tomoe-san," he said as he set her on her feet. He held her shoulder until he thought she was steady, something she wasn't too sure about. The feeling of being held by him was wreaking havoc on her emotions. Her heart was fluttering and she felt her face heating, again.

"Sensei asked me to give this to you." She was surprised she managed to avoid stuttering. "She said to thank you as well."

He took the note and smiled. "Thank you, Tomoe-san. Hello Ten'oh-san." He bowed slightly in greeting.

Hotaru blinked and looked up at Haruka, who had come up behind her.

"I didn't catch your name?" Haruka was frowning daggers.

"Ryuzaki Kintaro. A pleasure to meet you, Ten'oh Haruka. And before you fly off the handle and embarrass yourself, I have not been putting the moves on Tomoe-san, I did not molest her, and I did not use my tongue when performing mouth to mouth. In fact, I did not need to perform mouth to mouth on her, in spite of what you may have heard."

Haruka blinked.

Hotaru blinked.

Michiru had arrived to see what was taking so long. She blinked.

Kintaro chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry. There have been a few rumors running around. Tomoe-san and I haven't exactly denied the rumors of our supposed relationship and that has fueled even more rumors. On the good side, Tomoe-san has achieved a certain amount of acceptance and respect for having snared me so easily." He snickered at the foolishness of the rumor mill. "I hope you're not offended Tomoe-san, but we hardly know each other well enough to be attached."

Hotaru managed to keep from breaking down in tears. If he didn't want a scrawny little freshman following him around then she could accept his decision. She had gotten this far without a boyfriend. She would continue on alone.

She snapped out of her dark reverie when Haruka nudged her. Kintaro-sempai was looking at her expectantly. She franticly tried to remember what he had just said. He smiled gently.

"Would you like to go out to a movie or something this Saturday?" His smile broadened at her confusion. "We'll never know if we'll make a good couple unless we go on a date."

Hotaru couldn't do much more than nod wildly. Haruka was snickering and even Michiru was trying not to laugh. Kintaro nodded back.

"I'll come by your place at four, so these two can get the grilling over with before we have to leave." He winked at Haruka and Michiru. Haruka could only shake her finger at him. Michiru was more composed.

"Of course Ryuzaki-san. I'll make sure Haruka cleans the good roasting spits and gets some nice fresh charcoal. I know a wonderful recipe for a lemon braise sauce."

"Please Kiaoh-san. My mother makes a really good sauce of pickled plums and tart apples. It is much better since I don't taste good with citrus. I'll see you then. And I'll see you again tomorrow, Tomoe-san." And with that he turned and walked away.

Hotaru briefly wondered if the sakura petals were her imagination.


	2. Chapter 2

Tsukino Usagi reflected, briefly, on the unfairness of life as she hopped from foot to foot waiting for the bus to stop. She was late, again, but this time wasn't her fault. She hadn't been required to stay after school or overslept. She hadn't even been to the arcade. Two buses had been late, and the line at the store had taken forever. And now Rei was going to yell at her.

She waved cheerfully at the bus driver as he stopped a meter early for her, and dashed out clutching her bag of cookies. They were the only things that might shield her from Rei's ire. As usual she wasn't paying attention to where she was going.

She had a moment, as she was tumbling backwards, to wonder why they had placed a telephone pole in the middle of the sidewalk. Before she could do more than gasp, a hand caught hers. A second hand found the small of her back, supporting her and preventing a jarring landing on her backside. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

He was gorgeous.

He was far more handsome than what's-his-name. His shoulders were wide, his waist narrow. His blue hair was just a little tousled, his ponytail hanging over one shoulder. His eyes were the cloudless summer sky. He was looking deep into her eyes. She knew it was love at first sight. After all she had felt the same way when she first saw that guy in the tuxedo, so this had to be the same. And her rescuer was not wearing a silly mask and top hat.

"Are you alright, Tsukino-san?" He lifted her to her feet. She realized that the position they were in must have looked odd. He had been holding her nearly horizontal as if they were dancing and he had dipped her, like they did in the movies. Usagi blushed as she remembered what usually happened at the end of those dips.

"I'm fine," she managed to babble out. The sound of a clock chiming brought her back to reality. "Ohmigod, I'm sooo late. Rei's gonna kill me. Where are my cookies? Oh no, I've…"

Her rescuer held out his hand, palm up, and Usagi stared as her bag of cookies fell into his palm. A quick glance up showed nothing but sky and she wondered where the bag had been all this time. The clock chimed again.

"Oh thank you, you saved me, I'm very sorry about running into you, excuse me, I have to run, I'm very late, Rei's gonna kill me…" She started to dash away but stopped. She turned and bowed to him. "Tsukino Usagi."

With a small grin, he bowed back. "Ryuzaki Kintaro. A pleasure to meet you, Princess."

Usagi was off and running after his name and didn't hear the last part, or she might have stopped to talk to him.

Five girls sat in the main room of the house at the Hikawa Shrine. Four of them were huddled together on one side of the table while the fifth sat and stared dreamily out the window, mumbling to herself. The things she was mumbling had the other girls worried.

"I'm not detecting any signs of magic or possession," Ami whispered. "There's nothing wrong with her that the Mercury Computer can detect."

They turned to look at Rei. The shrine maiden shook her head.

"I don't sense anything either. But I did a fire reading earlier. There are all sorts of weird things."

"Like what?" Makoto asked.

"Like two Chibi-Usa's; the one we know and one with different colored hair. And Mamoru was with some other woman. And three gems. Each one seems to be stuck in the hand of a different person."

"Two Chibi-Usa's? How can that be?" Minako naturally focused in the wrong direction.

"That's easy Minako-chan. Either Mamoru has another daughter, or Usagi does." Makoto nodded at her own logic.

"It's not that easy. For starters they look to be the same age," Rei explained. "And it could mean that Mamoru and Usagi don't have a daughter, but this other Chibbi-Usa is the daughter of Usagi and someone else."

The others looked stunned. They all knew that Mamoru and Usagi were destined to be together. They had traveled to the future and seen it. She couldn't possibly love some one else.

"Kintaro-sama," Usagi sighed lovingly.

The four girls stared at her. This was serious. A quick glance at each other and they moved into action. Ami, Makoto, and Minako pushed Rei toward the day dreaming princess.

"Hey! Why do I…"

"Because you're her best friend and spiritual advisor," Makoto whispered. "Would you rather Minako get involved?"

Rei had to agree with the last argument. Letting Minako handle this would turn a potential disaster into a full blown catastrophe. Minako didn't seem to agree, but Makoto whispered something in her ear that silenced her protests.

Rei decided to go about this in the normal fashion. "**USAGI**!" she yelled. From ten centimeters away. Usagi shrieked and fell on her back, clutching her chest and gasping for breath. Minako glanced at Ami and Makoto.

"Are you sure letting her handle this was a good idea?"

Rei ignored them in favor of yelling at Usagi.

"What is the matter with you? You've been all spacey and out of it since you got here."

Usagi stared blankly at Rei, wondering how her normal state of mind had bothered her friend.

"More than usual," Rei snapped. "And you haven't even touched the plate of cookies."

"I bought those for you, Rei. They're your favorite," Usagi whined.

"Don't change the subject. You haven't tried to steal all my new manga!"

"You hid them from me."

Rei's carefully controlled temper was quickly escaping.

"**Who the heck is Kintaro?**" She thundered.

To their surprise, Usagi reacted by jumping up and yelling right back.

"I saw him first and you can't have him!"

Rei blinked. Twice.

"What about Mamoru?" Minako asked.

"Who? Oh, him." Usagi waved dismissal. "You can have him. Or Rei. She dated him a few times."

"What about Chibi-Usa?" Ami was much softer. Usagi flinched.

"Well since Mamoru decided he's not interested in me any more, I hardly have a choice in the matter."

"**What?**" This was the first any of them had heard of this. Usagi suddenly fell into Rei's arms, sobbing out that Mamoru was leaving her again and he wanted to break up. Much of her story was incoherent, but the four girls heard enough to get them fuming. Anyone who hurt their Princess was in for a world of pain. They comforted Usagi and planned vengeance for the rest of the evening.

At a small hotel restaurant in Honolulu a man had a sudden sneezing fit.

"Are you OK?" a young lady asked as she offered a handkerchief.

He gratefully accepted. "I'm fine." He realized she was speaking Japanese.

"Houhoujii Yuri," she said as she held out her hand.

"Chiba Mamoru. A pleasure." He grasped her hand. "Please have a seat."

"I'm an engaged woman, Chiba-san," she said with a wink as she joined him.

"And I'm an engaged man, Houhoujii-san."

"Then won't it be amusing if we return to Tokyo and discover that our fiancés have met as well?"

Mamoru smiled. "The odds are against it."

"Oh certainly," Yuri agreed. "I probably have the same chance of meeting Tuxedo Mask here in Hawaii."

Mamoru blinked. "What makes you think Tuxedo Mask would leave Sailor Moon alone in Tokyo?"

She smirked. "Nothing at all, Chiba-san. But it has been known to happen."

Usagi was having a dream. Or, more precisely, a memory. She knew it was a memory because the Earth was visible through the windows of the ballroom. She was dancing with her Knight. The man she loved more than anything.

"Hime-san."

"Why so formal, my love?"

"Because, Hime-san, I must tell you that you cannot love me."

She stopped. The dance was disrupted by their sudden lack of movement. "What?"

"My heart belongs to another, Hime-san. And you are destined to love some one else."

"I don't care about destiny. I love you."

"No, Hime-san. You are infatuated with me. A schoolgirl crush, nothing more."

She started to cry, tears flowing silently down her cheeks. "But…"

He gently kissed her forehead. "No, Hime-san. Your heart lies elsewhere, as does mine. I must leave, but I will return when you inherit your throne. I will always be your Knight."

He turned and walked away. His two knight companions joined him as he reached the great doors. She dimly saw a woman waiting beyond the doors, but they swung closed before she could identify the one who had stolen her Knight.

Luna twitched in surprise when Usagi began stroking her back. Usually the girl wasn't up this early, and she was rarely gentle in her petting. A quick glance showed that Usagi was crying again.

"Luna? Who was my Knight?"

Luna flinched. "Endymion was…"

"No, I mean before him. The man with blue hair and eyes the color of the sea."

"Well there was the Sea Knight," Luna said hesitantly. "Endymion was technically the Earth Knight and there were two others as well. The Fire Knight and the Sky Knight. But they rarely visited your mother's court. Why do you mention them suddenly?"

"I met the Sea Knight. Ryuzaki Kintaro. He came back like he promised." Usagi drifted off to sleep again. Luna waited until her breathing was even and slow. Then she wiggled out of Usagi's grasp and hopped up on the desk.

A brief search revealed the communicator, which she dragged out the window. On the outside sill she punched in the code and waited. And waited. And waited.

"Artemis, wake up you lazy idiot!"

"Huh? Wha?"

"About time. We have a problem."

"Usagi forget to change the litter again?" Artemis didn't sound too happy. Luna let it pass.

"The Sea Knight is back. Usagi saw him and remembered."

The silence on the other end was telling.

"Oh shit."

"Exactly," Luna snapped. "We have to find out more. Check with the Outers today. I'll snoop around the school. She said his name is Ryuzaki Kintaro."

"Right. And Luna?"

"What?"

"Be careful OK? The Knights weren't exactly friendly to us back then."

"You too, Artemis. Luna out." She clicked off the communicator and dragged it back to Usagi's purse. This was not good.

Artemis turned to go back to sleep and found a pair of blue eyes staring at him.

"Uh… I can explain?"

Minako nodded. "Start by explaining who these Knights are. And why you're worried about them."

Artemis sighed. "The Magic Knights are powerful warriors and wizards. Endymion was one but he chose to submit to Serenity's rule. The other three didn't. Sea, Air, and Fire choose to remain separate from the moon Kingdom. Serenity didn't want such powerful people wandering around so she told them that they had to swear fealty or leave. They left, but they promised to come back."

"And what does Usagi have to do with this?"

"The Sea Knight was her guardian for awhile. She had a major crush on him. It really tore her up when he left. He told her that he loved someone else. We think somebody blocked her memories of him, because the next day she was fine."

"And now he's back? This could be bad, Artemis. Usagi thinks Mamoru has dumped her and she's obsessing over this guy named Kintaro. Personally I think Mamoru just stuck his foot in his mouth again and she misheard him. Ami and Rei think so too."

"Well warn them about this Kintaro. And if he is the Sea Knight, don't try to fight him. He's very powerful and he could call the others. Especially tell Makoto to leave him alone."

"Why Makoto?"

"She was rather uhm… rude to him back then. He promised to teach her some manners the next time he met her. He was holding his Sword when he said it."

Minako gulped. She didn't like the emphasis Artemis placed on the word Sword. And Makoto was known to be impulsive when it came to such things.

"I'll warn her. If you head out now, you can make it to the Outers' House before they leave for school. Maybe they can give you a ride back."

Artemis nodded and darted out the window. He vowed to himself to walk back no matter how much Haruka promised to drive safely.

Artemis was certain that he wasn't subject to the curiosity that plagued normal cats. But he couldn't have explained why he followed the brief glimpse of blue hair. Now he was beginning to regret having done so.

He pelted down an alley and ducked under a dumpster. Hopefully the man following him would be too fastidious to look under here. He flinched as the footsteps stopped.

"Hello. Artemis, isn't it?"

The dumpster began to roll away. Artemis didn't dare run.

"One would almost think you weren't happy to see me, Artemis. Has Sailor Pluto been spreading tales?" The blue haired man smiled down at him. Artemis wasn't sure how friendly that smile was meant to be.

"You _are_ the Sea Knight." Artemis saw the blue gem in the back of the man's hand.

"Sea Knight?" For a moment the man was confused. "Oh you mean Selece. Yes, I am the Magic Knight Selece." He watched Artemis for a moment. "That bothers you for some reason. Why would a Moon Cat be afraid of the Magic Knights?"

Artemis regretted opening his mouth forever after that. "Because you're Evil. You killed the Princess. You broke Serenity's heart. You serve that witch, Ayame."

The man's face went suddenly blank. "Have a care, Moon Cat. I care little what you think of me, but if you ever insult Ayame-sempai again, I _will_ take it out of your hide."

Artemis began to tremble. The man crouched down and stared at him.

"I have no idea who Serenity is, but you should probably warn your Sailor Moon to think carefully about this Crystal Tokyo she wants to set up. Utopias are rarely as idyllic as they sound in the stories. She may want to get an opinion from someone other than Pluto."

"Like you?" Artemis was really beginning to wonder when he had developed a death wish.

The man laughed. "I am majoring in political and military history. She could do worse than asking me for help in setting up a government. But there are a great many people out there who could offer advice. Most are prejudiced in some way or other, but their ideas aren't wrong simply because they think differently. Freedom of choice is the greatest thing man can have. Take that away and you become truly evil. Tell Sailor Moon to think about that."

He straightened and walked away. Artemis was surprised to see him wearing the Mugen-Gauken Academy uniform. This was _really _bad. If he found out about Sailor Saturn things would become worse. Artemis turned and dashed for Juban High School as fast as his legs could carry him.


	3. Chapter 3

Michiru cocked her head and smirked at Luna. The cat tired not to squirm.

"Have you met this 'Sea Knight'?" the girl asked. She glanced around at the others, including them in her question. There were no affirmatives. "And Luna only remembers him from the past." The cat nodded. "Where he served an evil witch."

"How do we know she's a witch?" Haruka asked in a nasal tone. Everyone stared at her. Michiru snickered as Haruka sighed and waved off their stares.

"The question is valid though, in spite of Haruka's obscure reference," Michiru said. "How _do_ we know she was a witch? Luna can't even remember this person except that the Sea Knight served her. And that she refused to use her powers for Queen Serenity. So the Queen, in a fit of pique, banished them."

Luna protested. "Her Majesty had a very good reason for not letting such powerful people wander around without being subject to her laws."

"Yes, yes," Michiru agreed, "and I'm sure jealousy and fear never entered her mind as she banished some of the most powerful people in the kingdom."

Luna hissed, glaring at the woman. Michiru rolled her eyes.

"Don't get all uptight, Luna," Haruka put in. "Michiru is proving a point. You and Artemis have both admitted to not remembering that time well. And Artemis told Minako that someone had messed with Usagi's memories. So we can't assume that Kintaro-kun is even the same person as this 'Sea Knight' from the past."

"Kintaro-_kun_?"

Haruka smirked. "Yes. We've met him. I can certainly see why Usagi is head over heels for him." She gestured to where the blonde was 'sharing' a bento with Makoto. The younger girls stared at Haruka, and then slowly turned to Michiru.

Michiru nodded. "He certainly is handsome, and quite the gentleman. He was very polite to Hotaru-chan when he asked her on a date."

The stares became even more incredulous as they turned back to Haruka.

"We did a bit of research. It seems that Ryuzaki Kintaro was in line to compete in the last Olympics as a fencer and kendoist. Everyone was certain he'd take the gold if he went." She glanced around at her rapt audience. Even Luna was listening.

"He decided not to go. He didn't want to loose his enjoyment of the Art by making it his career. So he stayed home and went into politics and military history."

Michiru spoke, drawing attention back to her. "His mother is Ryuzaki Umi and his father is Mendo Shutaro. Both well known, and wealthy, politicians. Ryuzaki-san even took the silver medal in Olympic fencing about twenty years ago. Only a sprained wrist kept her from the gold. Both families have roots going back before the Warring States period."

"Here's where it gets good," Haruka put in, taking the thread of the story. "Kintaro-kun was recently attending the Hoshii-Asa Academy. There are a lot of rumors about his reason for leaving, mostly about one of the teachers named Taokuyamano Ayame. Some say he was having an affair with her. Others say she was teaching him evil magic." She paused for effect. "According to our sources he was actually expelled for breaking a professor's jaw."

The girls gasped.

"The man in question," Michiru said calmly, "had apparently said something very rude about his own fiancée. Kintaro broke his jaw when he challenged him to a duel. Apparently the school officials didn't take kindly to one of their professors being slapped around and they expelled Kintaro. The man never accepted Kintaro's challenge."

Haruka snorted. "If it had been me, I would have castrated him right there."

"We've got trouble!" Artemis arrived, panting from his run. "The Sea Knight is attending the same school as Hotaru-chan."

"What's wrong with that?" Haruka asked, feigning innocence. Artemis stared at her. Michiru laughed.

"If he finds out about Sailor Saturn…"

"I am fairly certain he already knows. Assuming that you're talking about Kintaro-kun," Michiru interrupted. "At least he knows there is something special about Hotaru-chan."

"What!" Minako jumped to her feet.

"Sit down, Mina-chan," Haruka said. "We've already verified his credentials. He's hardly a Youma general or a Dark Moon scion. He has some connections with the government, and he seems to be using those to help people like Hotaru."

"Yes," Michiru agreed. "The Hoshii-Asa Academy is known for strange incidents and stranger students. And it is sponsored by the Mammano family."

"They're the ones who train those Demon Hunters?" Minako asked. The others rolled their eyes. Recently they had been having problems with Demon Hunter girls trying to join them or recruit them.

"Yes," Setsuna said from behind her. Minako shrieked and jumped into Ami's arms. Unfortunately Ami wasn't prepared for the arrival of her blonde friend and they ended up in a tangled heap.

Haruka snickered as she helped them up. "You should have jumped into my arms… ow." She broke off as Michiru smacked the side of her head.

Setsuna smirked. "Flirt on your own time. Now what is this about Hotaru-chan encountering the Sea Knight?"

"He's attending Mugen-Gauken Academy now. If you're talking about Kintaro-kun."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow at Michiru's choice of suffix. "About this tall, blue hair and eyes. Bishonen good looks with a narrow waist and wide shoulders. You may have seen a blue gem embedded in his left hand."

"That's him. Except I didn't see a gem, but I wasn't examining his hand." Michiru glanced at Haruka.

"Yeah, that's him. Handsome too. If he wasn't engaged, Michiru and I might have lured him in for a threesome, but I didn't see a gem either."

"That was way too much information," Minako muttered to a blushing Ami.

"How do you know he's engaged?" Setsuna asked.

"He had a ring on."

"You noticed an engagement ring, but not a big blue gem?"

Haruka studied the clouds. Michiru snickered.

"Who's engaged?" Usagi demanded, having just returned with Makoto.

Everyone found other things to look at. Haruka rolled her eyes.

"Ryuzaki Kintaro wears an engagement ring. He's also got a date with Hotaru-chan this weekend. I think you've missed the boat already Usagi-chan." Haruka glanced around as the others glared at her. "What?"

Usagi stared at her for a long moment then turned and walked away.

"She took that pretty well," Minako mumbled. Ami nodded. Makoto shot Haruka an angry look and followed Usagi.

Setsuna sighed. "Well that wasn't exactly how I'd have done it, but it seems to have worked out."

They had all relaxed slightly when the time vortex struck. Setsuna had time to scream once before she disappeared from the time stream. The others stared in shock.

Setsuna woke with a groan. She hated vortices. She was reaching for her henshin wand when a voice stopped her.

"Don't transform. It will only confuse things."

She glanced toward the voice and relaxed as she saw her future self standing by the Time Gate. She tensed up again as she noticed the Gate was closed. Two smaller figures were with Pluto. One had familiar pink hair. The other had bright blue hair, but it was long and braided. Both girls looked scared.

More groans alerted her to the presence and arrival of other Sailor Plutos. All except for her were in their senshi uniform, or some variant. Setsuna sighed as she recognized her alternate future self that she privately referred to as 'Smutty Senshi.'

The woman was from a timeline where the senshi wore sheer satin fuku, and used sex and tantric magic to defeat their enemies. The fuku was nearly see-through with a skirt so short, it didn't hide the thong backside.

The woman noticed Setsuna looking at her and smiled sensuously. She ran a hand through her hair and licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. Two of the other Plutos stepped up to her with glares. Setsuna noticed that one of them was wearing a variant of the Christian nun habit.

"All right. Let's get started." Everyone focused on the Pluto by the Gate. "I suppose you're wondering why I called you here."

"You hardly called us, Pluto," sexy Pluto said. "Somebody fucked up the main time stream and threatened all of these futures." She gestured around. "I'm guessing you know who and how and why."

Pluto nodded. "Allow me to introduce Chibbi-Usa and her cohort in crime, Ryuzaki Yuri. For those who don't know, Chibbi-Usa is the daughter of Usagi and Mamoru, or Serenity and Endymion."

"Interesting," one of the other Plutos said. "In my future she's the daughter of Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars." That remark brought a moment of silence.

"At any rate, it is Ryuzaki-san who is the important one. She is the daughter of Ryuzaki Kintaro and Ayame."

"So they finally do get together. And here I was hoping to claim him. Ah well." Several of the Plutos sweatdropped at the comment.

"Go for him anyway," advised sexy Pluto. "He never objected to a threesome in my future."

"Ahem."

They all turned back to Pluto.

"Ayame is a Pillar Knight and Kintaro is a sorcerer supreme. His actual father is Clef, from the side Realm of Cephiro. Contrary to Luna's belief, he isn't the Sea Knight. He has similar powers, and I suspect he may be related somehow. He must be our ally."

She glanced around. Many of the Plutos were nodding.

"His daughter, Yuri, has a great deal of power as well. I will let her explain the whole plan that set this off."

The blue haired girl winced as attention focused on her.

"Uhm, actually it started as a joke. Usa-chan and I look very similar and if I put my hair up, you can't tell us apart unless we're standing together. So the idea was to fool someone into thinking there were two Chibbi-Usa's. The only person we could think of was Setsuna. So we staged a fake vision in the time gate and I came back and pretended to be an alternate future Chibbi-Usa. We didn't know this would happen."

"Which is why it was a dumb idea in the first place," Pluto snapped. "Even I didn't know some of the things that are coming out of this mess. We have got to straighten this out or none of us will have a future. Now let's hear the details so we can decide what to do."


	4. Chapter 4

Rei took the steps to the Shrine three at a time. If her grandfather had called her out of school, there must be something very important happening. Yuchiiro was at the Temple entrance, waving. She ran past him and stopped dead.

The Sacred Fire was nearly out. Only a dim flicker remained. This was very important. She didn't even look at Yuchiiro.

"Out. Now. No one comes in here until I come out."

"But Rei-san…"

"No one, Yuuchiro. Or I will turn you into a worm and feed you to the ravens." She reached for the button on her skirt as if to unbutton it. Yuuchiro suddenly understood and fled, locking the door behind him.

Rei sighed and willed her transformation while stepping into the Fire. She'd have a headache later, but it was less flashy and time consuming than using her wand. She forgot all that as she entered the flame and the vision consumed her.

She saw a man standing at a fork in a path. He was tall with blue hair and a glowing blue gem in his hand. He wore strange armor and held a sword. His helm resembled a dragon's head.

As she watched he stepped forward and seemed to split in two. One of him went down each path, and she was dragged along.

On the left, she found him holding a woman's body. Around him lay the grotesque bodies of demons and Youma. He rose and strode forward into the darkness.

Rei saw him hunt down a man with a sword and a book. The man was slain. A woman with odd braids and a demon hunter's sword followed. Then came the Senshi. He became more brutal and violent as he slew each one of them. His power seemed to grow as he violated them and killed them. When only Saturn was left, he used his power to overwhelm her and together they destroyed the world.

Rei was pale and nauseous with shock at what she had seen. But the vision wasn't finished. She saw the man floating alone in the ruins of the world. He looked right at her and smiled. Rei shivered.

He held up his hand and she was suddenly pulled toward him until his hand closed on her throat. He was almost gentle. "You must stop this, Sailor Mars. You must find a way to stop me," he whispered.

Then he kissed her. It was a bruising, passionate kiss and she seemed to burn until the vision suddenly faded.

On the right she found him holding the same woman, but she was alive. She briefly noticed that there were no demons around him, just a single body. He rose, carrying the woman and walked into the rising sun. Two others joined him and then more and more people flocked to him. Rei noticed that the Senshi were among them.

She saw him organizing the people with him into a force for good. They faced and defeated an army of strange, fey creatures. The Senshi became his lieutenants; even Sailor Moon deferred to him.

He set up a government, but he refused to run it. Sailor Moon was elected ruler and she made him one of her advisors. Crystal Tokyo faded into the mists of time, but the city that replaced it was incredible.

She suddenly noticed that this blue haired man didn't seem to age. He was there through out all the time between the present and the founding of the future. And because of that he was around the Senshi a great deal.

She found herself in a bedroom. The blue haired man lay in the bed asleep. And very obviously naked. His companion was just as naked, her black hair spread out across them both. Rei had time to note the familiar lines of her own body. The pair woke and began to do the things people who are naked in bed normally do. As she watched, she found herself staring into a pair of blue eyes.

"Eternity can be very lonely, Rei-chan," he whispered, "even for those who have someone." He gestured with his free hand, and Rei noticed that the person in bed with him had changed.

The hair was blonde, and done in a very familiar style. But even as she gasped, the person changed again. And again and again, until the woman he had rescued in the beginning of the vision was in his arms.

"Love can be many things, Rei-chan," he told her softly. "Don't let your fantasy cover the real message of your vision." He smiled at her and placed his hand over her heart. "Remember."

She was unsure how long she remained in the trance. When she collapsed out of it, she had just enough strength to push the 'emergency' button on her communicator.

Rei woke to the warm feeling of Hotaru's healing. She sat up and pushed the younger girl away.

"Save your strength. We have a problem."

The others were all there, crowded into the Shrine. All the Senshi except…

"Where's Setsuna?"

"She disappeared," Michiru said softly. "We haven't heard back yet."

Rei shook her head. "This is too important to wait. If she's not here she must have a good reason."

"Oh she does," said a familiar, sultry voice. They all stared at the woman who entered the room. It was Setsuna, but it wasn't.

This Setsuna had a different attitude than the one that they knew. She was wearing a black silk gown that was reminiscent of Dark Lady. She smiled sensuously.

"Hello girls."

Strangely enough, Haruka and Michiru were the least affected by her sensuality. Hotaru was affected, but not the same way the Inners were. Saturn leaped to her feet and leveled the Silence Glaive at the new Pluto. Haruka and Michiru weren't far behind her.

"Who are you and what have you done to Setsuna?" Hotaru's voice was ice.

"Now, now, let's not be hasty," the new comer seemed unimpressed. "I am Setsuna, just not the one you know. She couldn't make it back so I had to come in her place. Now we should all listen to what Rei has to say. Then we can have a nice tension relieving orgy."

"**WHAT**?"

"Sorry," the new Setsuna didn't sound apologetic. "The timeline I come from is a bit different."

"Whatever," Rei waved off the difference. "She seems to be telling the truth and this can't wait. You want the good news or the bad news first?"

"Bad," Haruka said instantly. Most of the others nodded. Rei batted Setsuna's hands away from her breasts.

"I had two visions. One of destruction and one of salvation. In the one where everything is destroyed there is a blue haired man. The woman he loves is brutally murdered. He seems to blame us. Especially after the Ginsozhou prevents Usagi from marrying him. He seduces Saturn and they destroy the world."

There was a moment of silence.

"This man would have been about two meters tall, shoulder length blue hair, wide shoulders, narrow waist, with blue eyes and a blue gem in his hand?" Michiru didn't seem to think she was wrong. Rei nodded.

"That's him. How did you know? Did the Mirror tell you something?"

"We've met him," Haruka said. "Seems like a nice guy. Not the whole world dominating, megalomaniac type."

"Any one can turn evil if they are rejected enough," Setsuna said. She was trying to get her hands under Minako's skirt. Makoto was helping Minako fend her off.

"So we should avoid this guy?" Minako asked.

"No. He's in my other vision too."

Setsuna stopped assaulting Minako. "It is very important that you get Kintaro-kun to join you. He _must_ be our ally or the future is in peril." She glanced at Ami and smiled. The others stared as Ami blushed. Setsuna shook her head. "Too easy."

"So what about your other vision?" Haruka asked.

Rei looked a bit embarrassed. "I saw him with two other girls. They were wearing strange armor and they stood with us against some great force. He rescued the woman he loves, but he seems to uhm…" She broke off with a full blush.

"Now you have to tell."

Rei sighed. "I saw him holding me, like he was about to uh, kiss me. But then it changed. It seemed like he held all of us for a moment, then suddenly he was holding the woman who died in the other vision."

"All of us?" Haruka seemed skeptical.

"Yes," Rei snapped. "Even you and Michiru and Hotaru." She paused. "Though Hotaru seemed older somehow."

Haruka smirked. "Was this all of us at once? Or each in succession?"

"It was a vision. It doesn't mean anything particularly romantic."

"In my timeline he's very virile and certainly capable of handling you all at once." Setsuna came up behind Haruka and grabbed her breasts. Haruka ignored her.

"Geeze Rei, lighten up. It was a joke." Haruka paused and glanced over her shoulder. "Can't you put any feeling into it? If all you can do is grab and squeeze, it's a wonder you've ever managed to seduce any one. I've met guys who can do better." Setsuna blinked and let go. She sat quietly in the corner for the rest of the meeting and pouted.

"So what do we do?" Michiru glanced around at the others.

Usagi suddenly spoke up for the first time. "We do what we always do. We'll fight evil if it appears. And we'll try to go about our lives as best we can. If the future ends in destruction, then it will end. I never really wanted this job, and I don't really feel like worrying about what might happen if I date the wrong guy. I just want to be a normal girl, with normal worries and a cute boyfriend. I'm tired of all these past lives determining whom I love and whom I marry. And I am really tired of having to live up to the future's expectations."

The others stared.

"I'm not giving up being Sailor Moon, but I'm not going to let it rule my life any more." She sighed and walked out.

"I knew letting her see 'Spider Man Two' was a bad idea," Haruka muttered.


	5. Chapter 5

Usagi sat on the park bench and tried to think. It wasn't something she was particularly good at, having let others do her thinking before. When she made decisions, they were from her heart, usually on a spur of the moment. It had worked for her before, but she wasn't sure any more.

Now she faced a problem that couldn't be defeated by Sailor Moon and the Ginsozhou. And love wouldn't guide her, because it was a problem with love. Love from her past. Did she want to have a love that was left over from a past life? The question applied to both of her current interests. Mamoru and Kintaro were both men she had loved in the past. She had thought she loved Mamoru, but things kept going wrong between them. He had left her and dumped her more than once, even if he always seemed to have a good reason.

But was Kintaro any different? He had apparently left her in the past. In fact, now that she thought about it, was any man any different? Makoto's old Sempai had left her. Alan had left Minako. Uwara had left Ami. Were any men faithful? Haruka and Michiru were still together. Though Haruka had a wandering eye, she had never seriously talked of leaving Michiru. Maybe she needed to find a girl-friend.

She thought about the girls she knew. Naru was too taken with Umino. Makoto and Minkao were too boy crazy. Ami was too smart. Haruka and Michiru had each other already. Hotaru was too young. This new Setsuna was interesting, but hardly long term relationship material. That left Rei.

"Well, hello Tsukino-san," a voice interrupted her thoughts.

She looked up into Kintaro's endless blue eyes. For a moment she was tempted to give in to her feelings. But she ruthlessly fought them down.

"Ryuzaki-san. Hello again."

He smiled. "We didn't have much chance to talk yesterday, Tsukino-san. Do you mind having a chat now?"

She sighed. "I'm not in a good mood, Ryuzaki-san." She glanced at his left hand. Her eyes widened at the sight of the blue gem. For a moment she forgot why she was looking, but she noticed the silver gleam of a ring on his third finger.

He noticed her glance and held out his hand for her. He was wearing a sword-mans gauntlet and for a moment she thought the gem was part of that. But he removed the gauntlet and showed her that it was embedded in the back of his hand.

Her eyes kept darting to the plain silver band on his finger.

"The remnant of a hasty vow when I was too young to know what love really was," he said. "Now _giri_ compels me to marry a woman I hardly know, instead of the woman I have come to love. Would you choose duty or love, Tsukino-san?"

"I…" She paused. "I don't know anymore, Ryuzaki-san. Once I would have said love, but now I'm not so sure what love is."

He sat next to her on the park bench. "Love is something that is impossible to define, Usagi-san. People sometimes mistake physical attraction for love. Sometimes duty is more compelling than love. I think our hearts are easily fooled and easily broken, but that doesn't make our love any less true when we feel it. I loved Yuri-chan, but she was gone for a long time. I love Ayame-sempai, but she has _giri_ too. It's never simple."

Usagi watched him for a moment. "Do you believe love can carry over from a past life, Kintaro-san?"

"I don't believe in past lives. Or reincarnation." He smiled slightly. "Of course, that doesn't mean that there aren't such things. But I believe that when we move on from this world, we go to a different one, perhaps better, perhaps worse. Our actions here can determine where we go and what we are when we get there. But we never come back to this world. Except perhaps as messengers."

"So you wouldn't believe me if I said that I loved you in a past life? That I was your Princess and you were my Knight?"

"I would believe that you believed that. But Sailor Moon isn't who you are. You may have been the Moon Princess, but the Moon Kingdom is long gone. Who you will become is not determined by who you may have been in another life. You make your own destiny, Usagi. Not Sailor Pluto, not the Silver Queen, not Sailor Moon. Unfortunately, some of us have greater destinies, and our choices can have enormous effects. Which is why it is difficult to choose between _giri_ and love."

Usagi stared. "How did you know?"

Kintaro smiled. "For someone with the training to see, your disguise magic is easily penetrated. Fortunately for you, very few have the ability or the training to see past the magic."

Usagi sighed. A thought struck her. "What about Hotaru-chan?"

Kintaro smiled sadly. "A very lonely young girl. She needs friends. I want to be her friend and I have no intention of stringing her along."

"You asked her on a date."

Kintaro sighed. "Yes, and she'll no doubt think I meant something romantic by it. The hard part will be to let her down without breaking her heart."

"That will be a new trick for you, _sempai_," a new voice growled. Makoto stomped up. "I thought leaving them pining after you was your normal tactic."

Kintaro rubbed his temples. "Kino-san. Imagine meeting you here."

"Yeah, sempai, imagine that. Thought you could avoid me forever?"

"What are you talking about, Kino-san? I haven't been avoiding you."

This comment set Makoto off. She leaped at him, fists leading the way. Kintaro deftly sidestepped and dodged her wild blows, leading her away from a confused Usagi. They were several meters away when he suddenly blocked one of Makoto's punches and brushed her aside. They faced each other, both in ready stances.

"What's going on Usagi?" Rei and the others arrived.

"I think Kintaro-san is Mako-chan's old sempai. She's trying to beat him up for some reason."

"She's not having much luck either, I see," Rei commented. "He's very good."

They watched as Makoto wore herself out. Kintaro simply evaded or blocked everything she had to throw.

"I think there may be a misunderstanding, Kino-san. As I recall, I told you that I would be attending a different school. I haven't been avoiding you."

"You never called me or wrote," Makoto accused.

"You didn't give me your number, Kino-san. I had no way to contact you."

"After all those dates…"

"Walking home through the park after school is hardly a date."

"You walked me home every day."

"I lived two houses further along than you. Yuri and Hikari walked with us."

"You carried my books."

"Only while your hand was injured," Kintaro countered, "while trying to punch me, as I recall."

Makoto blushed slightly. The others, seeing that the melee was over, came closer. Kintaro noticed them and turned.

"Hino-san, Aino-san, Mizuno-san. A pleasure to meet you all." He bowed.

The girls all bowed back. Minako grinned slightly.

"So," she said slyly, "You're Mako-chan's old sempai. She's told us all about you. Usually while comparing some other cute guy to you."

"Mina-chan," Makoto hissed, as she turned several shades redder.

Kintaro smiled. "Are you sure she wasn't referring to her other sempai, from first grade? She told me a lot about him."

The girls blinked and Makoto blushed.

"How many old sempai do you have Mako-chan?"

Rei stepped forward and grabbed his hand to examine the gem. Kintaro blinked.

"You are the one I saw," Rei said. "Do you know the others with gems like this?"

"Yes," Kintaro replied. "Hohoujii Yuri is my fiancée and Shido Hikari is our friend. They are the other two Magic Knights."

"Do you believe in visions, Kintaro-san," Usagi suddenly asked.

"That depends on the source of the visions. For example, Hino-san can probably see the future somewhat, and I would be inclined to trust her visions. Assuming that they can be understood. Sailor Pluto, on the other hand, is questionable. She has a tendency to only see what she wants to see."

"I resent the implications you're making, Kintaro-kun," Setsuna said as she slithered up to him. He stepped away, avoiding her embrace. His eyes narrowed and he raised his hand, whispering a quick phrase. Setsuna began to glow.

"Ah. A sideline alternate. Where is this line's Setsuna?"

"Due to a paradox flux, she was unable to return to her own time line. Many of us were stranded, so we decided to switch timelines and warn the Senshi of the troubles ahead. There's no telling how long I'll be around."

Kintaro watched her for a moment. "You're from the etchii sideline aren't you? Ayame-sempai introduced me to her alternate from that realm. Though I think it was an accident."

Setsuna grinned. "Did you have an orgy?"

"No. Though the subject came up enough. And for the record, I won't have sex with you."

The younger Senshi were staring. Setsuna pouted. Kintaro turned and glanced at the girls.

"What I said about Sailor Pluto applies doubly to this one. She has two tracks and only one monorail. If it isn't about seducing me, then she's thinking about sex."

"Hey," Setsuna protested. "I can think about things besides sex."

Kintaro glanced at her. "Only if they lead to having sex. Now if you all will excuse me." He started to walk away.

"Ryuzaki-san," Rei called. She ran up to him as he paused. The others stared as she stood on her toes and whispered something quickly in his ear. He nodded in response and took her hand for a moment, before leaning over and whispering back. Her cheeks were rosy as she returned to the others.

"You go Rei," Setsuna wolfed. The Senshi ignored her as they headed back to the shrine.


	6. Chapter 6

Hotaru held the gown up and examined herself in the mirrors. Haruka rolled her eyes and stared longingly toward the sports section. Michiru added a little pressure to the blonde's foot with her heel and smiled at Hotaru's reflection.

"It's very nice, Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru nodded and hung it back on the rack.

"Don't you want it?"

"It's not exactly the sort of thing to wear on a 'let's be friends' date," Hotaru said.

"Did he already dump you?" Haruka growled.

"No he didn't dump me, Haruka-papa," Hotaru replied. "We're not really dating, in spite of what the whole school thinks."

"But," Michiru began.

"I'm not blind," Hotaru said. She held up a pantsuit. "He obviously wants to be friends, and nothing more." She glanced at Haruka. "And don't think about trying to threaten him. He'd clean the floor with you."

Haruka straightened in surprise. "Hey…"

"No offense Haruka-papa, but I saw him at kendo practice yesterday."

Haruka was still skeptical. "Feh. Kendo."

"Two words, Haruka-papa. Ruroni Kenshin." Hotaru discarded the pantsuit and was examining the selection of skirts she had brought to the mirrors.

"That's just an anime."

"Yes," Michiru said, "and so is Sailor V."

Haruka glared. Then she noticed what Hotaru was contemplating. "Oh no, young lady, that exposes way too much skin."

Hotaru grinned and set the crop top and miniskirt to the side. Michiru was snickering.

"I'll just take Haruka over to the sport section. Come and find us when you've decided, dear." Michiru latched onto Haruka and dragged the now protesting blonde away.

Hotaru rolled her eyes. It seemed parental figures were the same no matter what age. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned, right into a finger poking her cheek.

"Dimple!"

The girl was slightly shorter than Hotaru. She had bright red hair in a knee length braid, and bright blue eyes that sparkled with humor. She was wearing a school uniform that Hotaru didn't recognize and had thigh high leggings.

"Hi," the girl babbled. "I'm Shido Hikaru. Just call me Hikari. Everyone does. And you're Tomoe Hotaru. Nice to meet you. Kin-chan always manages to catch the pretty ones. You want to go with the 'cute Lolita' look that says 'Look what you'll be missing when I grow up.' But don't over do it, 'cause Kintaro's a bit of a prude. It has to do with that whole Samurai attitude, which is funny considering his current circumstances. Try this on. And then we can go get you some under things."

Hotaru stared. The girl had rattled all that out in one breath.

"Uhm, who are you?"

Hikari laughed. "Sorry, sorry. I've been told that I'm too genki when I first meet people. I'm Shido Hikaru, named after my mother. I'm Kintaro's friend. Not his fiancée, mind you. That's Yuri. Not that I wouldn't mind being his fiancée…" She stopped. "Sorry, there I go again. Here."

Hotaru took the clothes from the hyperactive girl and held them up. She nearly dropped them when she turned to look in the mirror.

The top was see-through. It was black and had long sleeves, but only the lace at the collar and cuffs was solid. The black skort that was with it was very short, and would sit very low on her hips.

Hikari was right. She would need to buy new under things, as nothing she had was suitable for this outfit. Hotaru glanced back at Hikari who was grinning.

"You see, what you do is wear your jacket when he picks you up. You'll spend the whole evening in a theater or a dance place and he'll never realize what you're wearing. Then when you get him home, off comes the jacket in the dim lighting of your living room, and, wham, you've got him by the hormones."

Hotaru was skeptical. "You actually think that will work?"

"Well not on Kintaro," Hikari allowed with a laugh. "But he's good for practicing on, because he'll play along until the right moment. Then he'll break the mood without stomping on your heart or acting like a jerk."

Hotaru cocked her head. "Why are you trying to help me?"

Hikari interrupted. "Because Kintaro and Yuri need a reality check. They've grown up and grown away from each other." She sighed. "I knew I never had a chance with Kintaro. He's like a big brother to me. But now he's all mixed up about Yuri and Ayame. And it's hurting all of us." She looked ready to cry, but suddenly brightened. "Look, they're having a sale on lingerie." And Hotaru found herself following the exuberant little redhead to the lingerie department.

"All right," Haruka groused. "What has you two so giggly?" She frowned as her comment set off another round of giggles from Hotaru and Michiru.

"It's a girl thing, Papa," Hotaru snickered. "You probably wouldn't understand."

Haruka grimaced and made a sudden turn. Michiru's hand on her thigh calmed her down slightly.

"I'll explain it when we get home," Michiru said. "After Hotaru goes to bed."

Haruka was suddenly in a much better mood.

By the time the Senshi arrived, one of the monsters was already dead. They stared at the unfolding melee. Two small mecha faced off against the four remaining creatures.

The mecha were each about three meters tall. One was blue and resembled a European Dragon. It had wings and a tail and vicious looking claws. It was wielding a sword and magic against the beasts.

The other was red and bore some resemblance to a Ki-Lin. It had wings of flame and a huge shield. It was hurling blasts of fire at the beasts that tried to avoid its sword.

The creatures were like nothing the Senshi had ever seen. They had six limbs and would rear up to use their first two to rend and tear. Their head resembled that of a saber-tooth tiger, but scaly armor protected their eyes and ears. More scales covered their back and underbelly, and the barbed tale was naked, like a rat's. They tended to blur when moving, seeming to teleport from one spot to another.

Even as they took in the action, the two mecha suddenly attacked. The red one leaped into the air and encircled the creatures with fire. Only one managed to escape the ring. The blue mecha sent a dragon shaped geyser of water at the one that avoided the ring of fire. Then it dashed through the flames and was joined by the red one as they began hacking the three in the ring apart. The swords passed through flesh and scale as if it was soft butter.

The four beasts were dispatched rapidly and efficiently, their corpses turning to dust as they died. The two mecha seemed to converse briefly, and the red one simply flew away. When the Senshi glanced back down, the blue one had disappeared, leaving a man waiting for them.

Haruka spoke first. "So you're the Sea Knight. Serenity-sama told you never to return."

The man replied in the same grandiose tones. "Serenity-sama is long gone and her kingdom as well."

"The Moon Kingdom will return," Haruka announced. "We are the Guardians of that future and we will not let you ruin it." She pointed her sword at him.

"The future is never certain, Sailor Uranus. I will do what I must." He produced a sword as well and faced her in a fencer's stance.

The Senshi gasped as Uranus attacked. The man parried and they began fencing back and forth, swords ringing. The man parried Uranus' attacks but didn't attack back. He would occasionally, if she left a large enough opening, poke her gently with a finger. It became apparent that Sailor Uranus was very out classed, in spite of her enhanced power.

At first the duel seemed deadly serious, as if Uranus was really trying to kill the man. But their moves began to be exaggerated, until even Minako could predict the blows. Their banter seemed to be right from a Kurosawa film.

The fight ended when the man somehow locked his blade with Uranus' and pulled her in close. They tangoed forward and back like that until he suddenly stepped to the side and dipped Uranus over his knee. To the surprise of everyone, Uranus most of all, he kissed her nose.

It took Mars, Jupiter, and Venus to hold Neptune back. None of them was sure if she was planning to attack Uranus or the strange man.

When the two combatants walked back to the Senshi, chatting amiably, their surprise increased.

"Ryuzaki-san!"

"Good evening ladies," Kintaro said with a bow. "You should be careful about walking around at night." He gestured back toward the scene of the fight.

"What were those things?" Mercury asked.

"Sidhe-cats."

"She cats?" Venus repeated. "They didn't look very feminine."

Kintaro chuckled. "Sidhe. The faeries of western European lore. They use those when hunting. After the object of the hunt is killed, they try to take it away from the cat. Two sports for one."

He glanced around. "I take it Sailor Moon couldn't make it?"

"She decided that sleep was more important that saving the world," Mars said sardonically.

Kintaro laughed. "It was hardly world threatening. And considering her grades, she probably needs sleep. Though one of you should probably stop by her place on your way home and make sure Pluto isn't trying to seduce her."

They thought about that for a moment, and then Venus and Jupiter took off running.

Mars sighed. "You don't really think she'd…"

"No. But it is possible." Kintaro bowed to Neptune. "Milady Neptune, I don't believe we've met. Ryuzaki Kintaro, the Magic Knight Selece, at your service."

He took her proffered hand as he dropped to one knee, and kissed the back. Neptune blushed. Uranus turned red as well, but didn't make any moves.

"A pleasure Ryuzaki-dono," Neptune replied demurely.

"Milady Mars, you will find that your Ofuda will not work on the Sidhe. However if you draw them with this pattern, they will be most effective." Kintaro handed Sailor Mars a rolled paper.

"All of you should be very careful. While the Sidhe are merely a side effect of the machinations of the real enemy, they are very dangerous none the less." He paused and looked around at the four remaining Senshi. "His Majesty appreciates the things you've done for Japan and the World. I have been authorized to make you an offer; however this isn't the time or place. And all of you should be present as well." He bowed. "Until next time Ladies." The mech reappeared around him and he flew away. They stared after him for a moment and then faded back into the night.

"Please come in, Kintaro-kun," Michiru said with a bow.

"Thank you, Michiru-san," Kintaro replied. He removed his shoes and stepped into the house slippers. Michiru led him to the living room.

"For you, Michiru-san," Kintaro said as he held out a small jar of pickled fruit. She accepted it with a smile. Haruka glowered until he turned and bowed to her. "And for you, Haruka-san." He held out an envelope.

She took it and lifted the flap to peer inside. Her gasp caught Michiru's attention. Haruka held out the envelope so Michiru could see the pair of race tickets.

"Oh my, Kintaro-kun. You're not trying to seduce my girlfriend away from me are you?" Michiru was grinning.

"Of course not, Michiru-chan. I was hoping to lure her away for an evening so that I could seduce you away from her." Kintaro grinned back. "After all, you are a fine lady of culture and breeding. You would be a perfect addition to my trophy women."

Haruka frowned. Kintaro grinned at her and leaned toward her. He held his hand up beside his mouth and whispered loudly, "Don't worry, Haruka-chan. She doesn't need to know about our threesomes."

Haruka tried to glower, but Kintaro's grin and Michiru's giggles finally broke her will. She burst out laughing and to the surprise of all three of them, gave Kintaro a quick hug.

"You're the brother I never had, Kintaro-kun," Haruka gasped through her laughter. "If more men were like you, Michiru and I would be in trouble."

Kintaro's smile became a bit wistful. "If the women in my life were like you and Michiru, I would have a much easier time."

Michiru hugged him as well. "Don't worry too much, Kintaro-kun. Things have a way of working out."

"Michiru-mama! Haruka-papa! Kintaro-sempai is **my** date tonight. Flirt with him on your own time." Hotaru had arrived.

The three older teens stared. This wasn't just a little schoolgirl.

Hotaru was wearing a sheer, black, see through blouse. She had a dark purple 'thing', which Haruka couldn't name, under it. She was wearing a strapless push-up bra, which was not visible though its effects were. She had a black 'skort' with thigh high stockings and garters.

"I see you've met Hikari-chan," Kintaro said solemnly.

Hotaru blinked. "How did you know?"

"She wears similar outfits when she's trying to flirt with me. You look very pretty."

"Smooth cover," Haruka muttered aside to Michiru. Michiru nodded sagely.

"Was there anything in particular you'd like to know before we head out?"

Michiru and Haruka glanced at each other and shrugged.

"Nothing that I can think of," Haruka said as Michiru leaned over to whisper to Hotaru. Hotaru blushed. "Have her back before dawn. And use protection."

Kintaro rolled his eyes. "The best protection is abstinence, Haruka-san."

She grinned at him maliciously and indicated Hotaru. "If you can resist that, Kintaro-kun, then you're a better man than I thought. She may have other ideas about abstinence."

A red faced Hotaru ended the conversation by grabbing Kintaro's arm and dragging him out the door.

Haruka and Michiru watched them get into a limo and ride away.

"What do you think?" Michiru asked.

"They'll be fine."

Michiru raised an eyebrow. "So calm? I would have thought you'd be ready to follow them and protect Hotaru."

Haruka laughed. "I think Kintaro-kun is the one who will need protecting this evening. But he strikes me as the strong, capable type. They'll be fine. What was that purple thing Hotaru-chan had on?"

"A teddiette. Like the red one I have. I'm glad you're not going to be worrying about them all evening," Michiru said softly. Haruka glanced at her and smiled. Michiru continued, "I made a fresh batch of chocolate mousse."

Haruka nodded. "I'll get the handcuffs."

OMAKE!

Haruka licked the chocolate from the smooth curves. She smiled wickedly at the woman she had handcuffed to the kitchen chair. Michiru was straining against her bonds, her back arched as she tried to get closer to the source of her desire.

"You know," Haruka said conversationally as she carefully dribbled some mousse onto her lover's tongue, "if you'd learn a little self control, we wouldn't have to do this. I've never seen anyone with such an extreme reaction to chocolate mousse before."

Michiru slumped back, her eyes closed, making little sounds of pleasure as she swallowed the rich pudding. She didn't deign to answer Haruka.

Haruka grinned. "If you didn't have to be restrained, we could do some really interesting things with this. But I'm not going to get another black eye trying to keep you from going hog wild."

She downed a couple more bites herself while reminding herself to be careful not to get any mousse on Michiru's blouse as she fed her.

AN- What did you think they were going to do with chocolate mousse? This story isn't rated MA you know.


	7. Chapter 7

"Where are we headed, Sempai?"

Kintaro smiled. "Just Kintaro, Hotaru-chan. And we're headed to a surprise."

Hotaru nodded. "Your friend, Hikari-chan, had a lot to say about you."

Kintaro nodded. "I'm sure she did. She doesn't like the tension between Yuri-chan and myself, so she tries to relieve it. Unfortunately she's too close to the problem and can't see the mountain for all the hills."

Hotaru blinked. "She suggested seducing you."

"Did she also tell you that it wouldn't work?"

"Well, I had figured that out for myself. I'm curious as to why."

"Not that you aren't pretty or anything. You are very attractive, but I respect you too much to have casual sex with you, and I don't love you enough to make love to you. If you see what I mean." Kintaro was meeting her gaze calmly.

"I think I do, Kintaro-kun. And thanks."

Kintaro leaned over and pressed his forehead to hers. "Any time, Hotaru-chan."

They rode in comfortable silence for awhile.

"Rei-san had a vision where you seduce me and we destroy the world together," Hotaru remarked. She watched Kintaro for his reaction.

He looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I suppose under extreme stress that I might go over the edge like that. It is very unlikely. But I think I should have a talk with Hino-san. If such an event is possible, then we should do what we can to avoid it."

"The seduction or the destroying the world part?" Hotaru teased.

Kintaro grinned at her. "I meant the part where seducing you leads to us destroying the world. I'd like to keep the option to seduce you open without any nasty, destructive side effects."

Hotaru giggled as he waggled one eyebrow at her suggestively. She suddenly gasped as their destination came into view out the window.

Kintaro shrugged. "Some of my extended family have too much money and too much time on their hands. I tend to get stocks instead of holiday money. Sometimes I actually find a use for them."

"You own stock in…"

"Yes. I couldn't rent the whole park for us, but we have a dinner appointment in the Shareholder's restaurant. And we have priority passes for any ride you wish to go on. You'll even get to meet any of the characters you'd like to see."

Hotaru was speechless and wide-eyed as the limo entered a side gate of the magical theme park she had always dreamed of visiting.

Sunday morning came way too early for Haruka.

"He took you **where**?"

Haruka sat bolt upright at the tone of Michiru's voice. Surely Kintaro hadn't done anything to Hotaru. Haruka vaguely remembered hearing happy singing sometime in the night when Hotaru came home. She scrambled out of bed, throwing on a robe, and dashed for the stairs.

"I don't believe it," Michiru exclaimed. "How could he do this?"

Haruka bounced off the door to the kitchen and stared at Michiru and Hotaru. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Michiru repeated. "This little minx weaseled her way into the good graces of a shareholder." She gestured broadly at the pictures scattered on the table.

Haruka picked one up and peered at it. She tossed it back on the table with a grunt of disgust. "I thought it was something more serious."

"More serious?" Michiru demanded. "What could be more serious? She had priority passes for all the rides and she got to meet all the characters!"

Haruka rolled her eyes and headed back to bed. Michiru followed her.

"She even got to meet…" Michiru paused for dramatic effect. Haruka shrugged.

"I don't care who she got to meet. I'm going back to sleep."

"But Haru-chan…" Michiru hugged the blonde from behind. Haruka sighed. "I wanna go too," Michiru begged in a little-girl voice.

"Fine," Haruka grumbled, "get Shareholder-san to take you."

She instantly knew she had made a mistake and that she would pay for it, but sleep was too strong a lure, so she sighed and tumbled back into bed with the hope that Michiru would forgive her. Maybe if she dressed up in the outfit from last Halloween.


	8. Chapter 8

Rei was meditating at the Fire when she felt him. His presence was incredibly strong while she was in the light trance. It was also immediately recognizable by the blue dragon shape around him. She could also see numerous red threads stretching from him. One of the threads came to her. She realized he was coming to talk to her and began to shake off the trance.

"Do you always meditate naked?" he asked, holding out a kimono for her.

She blushed slightly and took the robe, matching his calm with her own. "You shouldn't be in here. Didn't Yuuchiro stop you?"

"The young man sweeping the stairs? He didn't notice me." Kintaro smiled. "Hardly his fault though, since I didn't want to be noticed."

Rei tied her robe closed. "Did you have some business here? Or did you just come to peep on me?"

Kintaro leaned forward and waggled an eyebrow at her. "What are you going to do if I say I came to peep on you?"

Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You're teasing me aren't you?"

"Yes," Kintaro admitted. "I did actually come to talk to you about your vision from the other day. Finding you naked was just a pleasant bonus. However, the thin silk robe makes you really sexy." He smiled innocently as she glared at him.

"Why is it that you can get away with such things? I would have killed any other boy by now, but I can't seem to get more than mildly annoyed with you."

"My charming personality and irresistible good looks?"

Rei rolled her eyes with a snort. She refused to admit, even to herself, that his flippant remark was probably accurate.

"Ok," Kintaro said. "It is most likely because of the fact that I am not treating you like a sex object or an idol. You're very beautiful, but I'm not going to start drooling over you or acting like an idiot. I imagine that any other boy would have acted embarrassed to see you naked and tried to grovel and apologize. I acted more mature and so you had a mature reaction to me."

Rei thought about that for a minute. Then she grinned mischievously. "So since we're both acting mature, I could take off my robe," she matched actions to words and began untying her robe again, "and we could have a mature 'discussion' from there."

To her surprise and pleasure, Kintaro blushed.

"Perhaps I was a bit hasty about the whole maturity thing," he chuckled. "And I deserved that I suppose."

"Yes, you did," Rei gloated.

"On the other hand," Kintaro said off-handedly, "I don't have to worry about your friends finding out about this. I can't imagine you admitting to them that you offered to get naked and have a 'mature' discussion with me."

Rei giggled, blushing herself. "So let's just forget about all that?"

Kintaro had his own mischievous grin. "I don't know. It might be kind of hard to forget having seen that body naked."

Rei smacked his arm and they both laughed. "All right. Come over to the house and I'll tell you what I can remember."

Kintaro held out his arm and she placed her hand on his forearm. As they crossed the yard, they were unaware of being watched by several pairs of eyes.

Yuuchiro watched as Rei and the young man crossed to the house. She was wearing a short silk robe that didn't hide the fact that she was nearly naked. She had her hand on the man's arm and was laughing at something he said. Yuuchiro tried to ignore the feelings he was having.

"I can help you." The sibilant hiss set Yuuchiro's teeth on edge. He glanced toward it.

In the shadow of a tree at the edge of the stairs stood a dark figure. She seemed to be female and he had an impression of great beauty, but she was hard to see. Except for her smile, which made Yuuchiro shudder.

"Help me?"

"You want her. I can," she paused, "I can give you power to defeat him. To show her that you are worthy."

Yuuchiro shivered again. She was offering him what he wanted. There had to be a catch.

"What do you want from me?"

She smiled. "Nothing. I want you to defeat him. I want him. He will be out of your way and you will have power." She held out her hand. It was pale with bright red nails. "Just take my hand…"

Yuuchiro knew he'd made a mistake the instant his hand touched hers. But it was too late, and what little of his spirit escaped retreated deep into his mind and hid, cowering in terror.

Rei sighed. She glanced at Kintaro again and wondered how he did it. They had talked for nearly two hours and he had become her friend without ever letting her think there might be more. Certainly they had flirted. He was quite the tease, but he could tease and flirt without the tension or maliciousness that might have been present.

She had pushed the limits too. She was feeling particularly odd and the adrenaline rush from her Fire reading had put her in a euphoric high that had made her act a bit forward.

He had taken it all in stride and been a perfect gentleman. Even when she had 'accidentally' dropped her robe. He had complemented her and reprimanded her in the same phrase, while handing the robe back to her, gently reminding her that he was engaged.

The tension hand been broken though and they were able to talk like friends. He had offered some insight to her vision and suggested some plausible interpretations. She had, for some reason, included her vision of their actions. He had smiled and pointed out a number of possible metaphors. Unfortunately he had been somewhat reticent about the woman she had seen and why her death might cause him to become evil..

Still, it had been a great help to talk with someone who understood what she went through. He had explained some of what he was doing for the government and how that might impact the actions of the Senshi. She was very impressed with his knowledge and his ideology. She wondered idly if he was a spirit reborn from the Samurai period. He certainly played the part.

She was brought back to the present by the presence of Yuuchiro. They were crossing the yard toward the stairs when the young man interrupted.

"Get away from her," he snapped at Kintaro.

Kintaro raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rei. Rei blinked and stared at Yuuchiro.

"What's going on Yuuchiro-kun? Why are you being rude?"

Yuuchiro glanced at her. "Don't worry, Rei-san. I'll protect you from him."

Rei nearly laughed at the implications. Kintaro didn't. He was staring at Yuuchiro with narrowed eyes.

"What's the matter Kintaro-kun?"

Kintaro was about to speak when Yuuchiro suddenly stepped forward and laid his hand on Rei's arm. The change in Rei was obvious.

Rei stared at Kintaro. Why hadn't she seen it? He was the Sea Knight and he was trying to turn her against the other Senshi. She wasn't sure she could take him alone though.

"Possessed," Kintaro suddenly said. He shifted his stance and dodged a blow from Yuuchiro. "Rei, help me. Possessed," he grated out, apparently in pain.

She didn't hesitate. Dealing with possession was one of her specialties. And if he _was_ the Sea Knight, an ofuda might slow him down. She powered one and hurled it even as she was thinking.

Kintaro sidestepped another blow from Yuuchiro and held up his hand. The ofuda seemed to bounce from a faint glow around him. The flight of the scroll altered slightly and it struck Yuuchiro. Rei stared as the young man screamed and doubled over.

A faint black aura formed and suddenly there was a pale woman standing over Yuuchiro's prone form. Kintaro nodded, his sword in hand and his blue armor forming around him.

"Sailor Mars. We need fire."

Rei nodded and grabbed her wand.

"**Eternal Mars Power**. **Make Up**!"

The transformation cleaned the last bits of the enchantment she had been under. Whatever this thing was, it was subtle and powerful. No wonder she had been so brazen with Kintaro.

Kintaro had stepped forward and slashed at the woman with his sword. She hissed and threw crackling balls of green fire at him. Kintaro evaded them by a narrow margin, taking scorch marks on his armor.

"**Burning Mandala**."

"Ice Dagger."

Kintaro's sharpened icicles joined her fire rings. The creature was surrounded. It snarled curses at them and produced more balefire.

"**Burning Fire, Frozen Water, Forged Metal, Rushing Wind, Growing Wood, and Passionate Spirit**."

Rei felt the power of the spell building. The six elements were present. A vortex of power began to swirl around them. Streamers of light formed a complex Mandala. The pale thing shrieked in rage and hurled flame at the light around it. The balefire had no effect on the pattern of light.

Kintaro continued. "**I Command You, As A Son of Ryujin, The Sea Dragon King.**"

Rei blinked, not quite believing his statement, but her power responded and the fires flared. He really was a descendant of the Ryujin. Her spirit soared.

"**Return The Unnatural To Its Home. Circle Of Banishment.**"

The thing in the middle of the vortex shrieked, spitting profanity at them and promising vengeance as it was hurled back to its own world. Kintaro slumped to the ground as the last of the power faded away. He leaned heavily on his sword.

Sailor Mars approached carefully. There were shards of melting ice everywhere and the tree near the edge of the shrine was stripped of bark, which was scattered across the yard. She sighed when Yuuchiro groaned. He seemed to be okay. She knelt near Kintaro.

"You know," he said conversationally, "that transformation sequence leaves you stark naked for an instant in the middle. Though I doubt anyone without training could see through the magic."

Mars grinned. "You seem to have a talent for seeing me naked. What were you doing staring at me in the middle of a fight?"

Kintaro shrugged. "I wasn't staring. You transformed in my direct line of sight. But the nudity is nothing compared to the ultra short skirt and the skintight leotard. Where do you think I was getting the 'passionate spirit' from?"

Mars blushed. "I thought you meant me. I _am_ the Passionate Fighter, Sailor Mars."

Kintaro laughed and struggled to his feet. "As long as fighting is the only passionate thing we do together."

"It is. At least in the near future." Mars joined his laughter and they went to help Yuuchiro, who was looking very confused as he sat up.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Standard disclaimers apply. This is a work of fan fiction, etc etc.

Mizuno Ami knew she was the smartest of the Senshi. She didn't gloat about it, but it was a source of quiet pride for her. Without her, they would be little more than a pack of unorganized thugs and bruisers. Well, maybe not quite _that_ bad. But she provided all the strategy and tactics.

Not that any of that experience was helping her now. She made her move.

"Check."

Kintaro moved his knight. "Checkmate."

She stared at the board in astonishment. Chess was a favorite of hers and she had never lost so many games in a row. She looked up to see Kintaro smiling at her.

"You're still too attached to the pieces. You see them as friends and companions. When you learn to loose your attachment to the pieces, you'll learn the next stage of the game."

Ami was confused. "But you said…"

Kintaro nodded. "I said to imagine yourself as one of the pieces, but you're taking me too literally. In the game there is no chance or skill in the battle between the pieces. My knight moves and takes your queen. Strategy at its purest. But when you imagine yourself among them, suddenly you become attached to them. My Magic Knight takes your Sailor Moon. But if you had sacrificed your Sailor Jupiter earlier to take my Knight, Sailor Moon would have been safe now."

Ami flinched. "I can't just go around sacrificing my friends."

"Of course not," Kintaro agreed. "But these are just pieces in a game. Each one has special abilities that none of the others have. Sacrificing one only means that you have one less plastic piece on the board."

Ami cocked her head, trying to understand what he meant. He was trying to help her learn it on her own rather than just coming out and telling her what he wanted to teach her. It was frustrating, and exhilarating. And somewhere deep down inside, Ami was feeling a little giddy that such a handsome young man was spending so much time with her. He had reset the board and turned it around so that she was playing black now.

He made his first move. Ami had a sudden inspiration and tried to think like Queen Beryl might have thought. They were all just minions to her. Winning the game was the goal and the only acceptable outcome was victory.

"Checkmate."

Ami sighed. She had come closer. "I was _too_ quick to sacrifice pieces that time."

Kintaro nodded. "Closer, but you went too far into the callous thinking. Remember, once a piece is sacrificed, it is difficult to bring it back."

She nodded. "One more time."

Kintaro chuckled and reset the pieces. She chose one of the hands he held out and drew white. Kintaro rotated the board and she started.

"Checkmate!" she crowed in victory some time later. Without thinking she jumped up and leaned across the board to kiss the very surprised Kintaro. She had been aiming for his cheek, but he moved at the wrong moment and their lips met. She suddenly blushed and sat down, staring at her hands. To her surprise, Kintaro took hold of her chin and tilted her head up. His eyes were full of amusement, and something she didn't recognize.

"If you're going to claim the spoils of victory," he whispered, his breath warm on her lips, "you should do it properly."

Ami had never been kissed in her life. At least she had never been kissed like this before. His mouth was hot and cold and tingly. Shivers ran up her spine and down her arms. And a very warm spot seemed to grow from somewhere just under her heart until it filled her whole body. And suddenly the kiss ended. A clinical portion of her brain noted that he hadn't tried to slip his tongue in her mouth, darn it. She ignored that part and gazed into Kintaro's eyes.

She suddenly realized what that other emotion in his eyes was. Loneliness. And she knew it was something she couldn't drive away; that mentioning it would only make it worse. She brought her hand to her lips as Kintaro sat back down.

"Thank you, Kintaro-kun," she said softly.

"You're welcome, Ami-chan," he replied. "Now what did you do differently? What changed? And how does it apply to your life?"

She straightened and looked down at the board. "I managed to think of them as pieces, useful for their abilities. I determined which abilities were particularly important at each point in the game and acted accordingly. If a piece was of no further use, I was willing to sacrifice it." She fell silent, remembering a time when there had been sacrifices made. "But I can't apply that in real life. People aren't just pieces."

Kintaro laid his hand on hers. "They are, and they aren't. This board is only a small portion of the field. If you imagine the pieces that are removed from this portion going to another, like say a hospital…" He trailed off suggestively.

Ami reeled as the epiphany struck. "So the pieces aren't dead. They may just be recuperating for the next game. Or in the hospital. So you're saying that I can 'sacrifice' my 'team mates' because they won't necessarily be dead, just out of the game." She blinked. "That didn't sound very nice."

Kintaro chuckled. "Actually, I'm saying that you need to remember that reality isn't a chess game. Use the strategy you learn from playing chess, but remember that just because it's your move doesn't guarantee a win for your pieces. And vice versa."

He set up a pattern of pieces on the board, all of them the same color. "Which piece would win this set up?"

She glanced over it. "The last one to move."

"Now what if they all could move at once?"

"Uhm…"

"And let's give them each a number from one to five, where the higher number will defeat a lower number."

"The queen will win."

Kintaro made a series of moves, which left the knight as the winner. He smiled. "You didn't have all the information, but that just emphasizes my point further. Think about what you and your friends have done so far. Would you have given Usagi-chan a chance against Metallia and Beryl?"

Ami had to shake her head.

"But she won. In spite of having to sacrifice her friends, the pawn won through to become a Queen and save the King. That is, of course, a dramatic example. There are less extreme sacrifices we make every day. But mostly we don't apply them in the tactical sense that is necessary in combat."

Ami nodded. "I see what you mean. I can't really describe it well, but I know what needs to be done. And I guess it is a matter of having faith in the abilities of my friends."

"Exactly. But you need to know their limits and abilities as well as they do. Or at least give them the impression that you do. And they'll go and do what you tell them to do, because they think you believe they can do it. It's better if you actually _do_ believe they can, but what they don't know might actually help them."

"Thank you Kintaro-kun. I do not know if I will ever be quite as much the general as you, but I will try to use your instruction to the best of our abilities."

Kintaro gazed at her for a moment. "Do you realize that you get formal when you're nervous?"

Ami blushed. He chuckled and patted her hand.

"Go ahead and ask. At worst I'll say no."

"Wouldyouliketotakemetothescienceexhibit?" Ami squeaked nervously.

Kintaro stared at her for a moment and burst out laughing. Before she could get angry he waved a hand at her.

"I'm not laughing at you Ami-chan," he chuckled. "You are a real gem. That's what I get for assuming."

"What are you talking about, Kintaro-kun?"

Kintaro was still grinning. "I made an assumption about the way you would act. Let me explain what that was and why I assumed it, and then you can hit me for it."

Ami blinked.

"Through out junior high and high school I've had a strange attraction for women. Your friend Makoto is an example. Any girl I associate with for long periods will eventually start to initiate intimacies. They try everything from stealing kisses to asking me for help with 'homework.' I was half expecting you to ask me for another kiss."

Ami blushed slightly. She _had_ been thinking of that, but had been to shy to ask. A sudden idea occurred and she acted impulsively. She stood and pointed her finger at him.

"Assuming such things can harm a girl's self image. Such hubris can not be forgiven. In the name of love and the Moon, I will punish you."

She strutted around the table to him, intentionally exaggerating the swing of her hips. She leaned forward until her nose was almost touching his. She brought her hand up to his cheek and caressed him, tilting his chin up slightly as she pulled her hand away. She leaned forward, and turned her head slightly, evading the kiss.

"You have a lot to learn about women," she whispered in his ear, and returned to her seat.

Kintaro stared at her for a long moment, then reached out and tipped over the king on the chessboard between them. Ami grinned triumphantly.

"Well, well," a new voice interrupted, "aren't we intimate."

Kintaro rose smoothly to his feet and bowed as Ami turned.

"Yuri-sempai. You're back," Ami exclaimed.

Kintaro blinked. "You two know each other?"

Yuri smirked. "I _do_ have other friends, Kintaro-kun. That's ok with you, isn't it?"

Yuri was slightly taller than Rei. She had shoulder length blonde hair and glasses. She was wearing a thick down coat and jeans. She had opened the coat on entering the library and Ami could see the tight half-tee she was wearing underneath.

Kintaro sighed. "Please don't start."

Yuri snorted. "It has already started, Kintaro. We still need to finish."

"This is hardly the time or place to do so." Kintaro tilted his head at Ami.

"Afraid she'll dump you if…"

"**Enough**," Kintaro snapped. Ami and Yuri both flinched at his tone. "I didn't agree to meet you here to listen to you air our problems publicly. If you have nothing better to say, then I am leaving." He bowed to Ami. "I'm sorry Ami-san. Houhojii-san and I aren't getting along well. I need to leave before one of us says or does something that would bring embarrassment to all of us." He turned to leave.

"That didn't stop you from embarrassing yourself with _her_ back at the church," Yuri said snidely.

Kintaro spun to face Yuri, and for a moment Ami thought he was going to hit her. Yuri tensed slightly as if expecting a blow, but Kintaro didn't even raise his hand.

"You have lived in America too long, Houhojii-san. You talk like an American, you act like an American, and you think like an American. You have forgotten giri. I owe her a debt of giri. Just like I owe _you_ giri. And regardless of what you have become, I will honor that debt to the best of my abilities." He bowed again and walked away.

Yuri slumped into the seat he had just vacated and stared blindly at Ami. Ami was silent, unsure of what to say.

"They say, that if you love some one, you should set them free," Yuri said softly. "But what do I do if he doesn't want to be free? He clings to some old fashioned notion of honor and duty, and he won't let go."

"Do you want him to let go, sempai?"

"No, Kami help me. I want to keep him for myself. I want him to love me, and only me. But he loves _her_. And I can't seem to stop hurting him, because it always hurts me." There were tears on Yuri's cheeks.

Ami shrugged nervously. "I'm not the best person to ask about such things, sempai."

Yuri smiled and brushed the tears away. "I'm sorry, Ami-chan. I had hoped that your presence would help, but I guess not. I'll tell you what. In re-payment I'll buy you something." She grabbed the younger girl's hand and dragged her away to go shopping.

End Note: Thanks for the reviews. The story is nearly complete and so I should have it all up by the new year. If you haven't figured it out already, I'll give you a couple of hints as to where to look for the cross over references. Haruka mentions two characters from other anime in chapter three. Pluto mentions another in the same chapter. A third anime is referred to with the use of a name (same chapter). The name of Kintaro's Mecha (in chapter 2) is also a give away.

Just so you don't think that I'm making Kintaro out as some sort of 'God' character, this chapter and several future ones will indicate his flaws. He's not perfect. But this is only from the viewpoint of the Senshi and their interactions with him. The larger story in an original piece that I may someday publish without all the anime references. ;-)

Enjoy the rest of the story.

Mordae


	10. Chapter 10

Kino Makoto leaned against the wall of the gym and watched the class go through the rote moves. There were some good looking young men in the class, and more than one had been reprimanded for looking her way. Their sensei was very traditional and very strict.

He was also very handsome. Ryuzaki Kintaro was one of the best fighters she knew. He was also her old sempai, who she had a huge crush for way back when. A crush which he hadn't returned. She hoped to change that.

She straightened and stepped away from the wall as the class bowed and dispersed. Kintaro came toward her, removing his helmet. She could see the sparkles as he shook out his shoulder length hair and smiled at her.

"Sempai."

"Just Kintaro, Makoto-san. Unless you'd rather I call you Kino-san," he said.

She smiled. "Okay, Kintaro-kun. I brought everything I need."

Kintaro sighed. "I still think this is a bad idea. The kitchen space at my dorm is rather crowded, and Sunday afternoon is a bad time to do anything in the dorm."

Makoto's grin grew a little strained. "I just want to apologize for attacking you the other day. Making lunch for you is the best way I can think of."

Kintaro laughed. "If you say so. But I did try to warn you. I'll be right back."

"I _did_ try to warn you, Makoto-san."

Makoto stared at the cooking area. Calling it a mess would be understating the case. Dirty dishes were piled in the sink, old pans were sitting on the stove, empty cans and bottles covered every other surface.

"I see Hikari-chan has been cooking again," Kintaro remarked.

"She made this mess this morning?"

"No. She was cooking last Thursday. Sundays we get together with our parents so that we can avoid this mess."

"Ryuzaki Kintaro!" a new voice exclaimed.

Kintaro turned and moved to the side slightly, avoiding the attempted embrace of the woman. "Yes, Shirinori-san?"

The woman was in her mid twenties. She was cute, Makoto supposed, in an OL sort of way. The only thing she had going for her was her bust, which she emphasized by wearing a tight tee shirt.

"You have got to quit letting Hikari-san cook."

"You are the one who agreed to clean up if someone else cooks on your nights, Shirinori-san," Kintaro said with an air of long suffering.

"But…"

"Ryuzaki-kun!" another voice interrupted.

Kintaro slipped around Makoto, narrowly avoiding another glomp. "Hashiko-san."

The girl placed her hands on her hips and glared. "You said you were busy today."

Kintaro indicated Makoto. "My friend, Kino-san, wanted to come here."

Makoto suddenly found herself the center of attention. Several other people had appeared and were staring at her too.

"I thought your fiancée was blonde, Ryuzaki-kun," one of the boys remarked.

This comment set off a rush of questions and accusations. The verbal melee soon developed into an outright physical brawl. Kintaro carefully guided Makoto out of the common area and out the door.

"I'm sorry Makoto-san, but that's why I avoid doing anything but sleep here. With twelve rooms and two people per room, it gets a bit hectic. Especially on weekends when people are still trying to trade or exchange cleaning tasks."

Makoto sighed. "We could go to my place," she suggested hopefully.

"You're not worried that I'll try and take advantage of you if we're alone?" He leered at her.

"I can handle myself," Makoto said sharply.

"I'm sure you can. Which is why I have a better idea." Kintaro grinned like a little boy with a secret. Makoto rolled her eyes and followed him.

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous, Kintaro-kun. Why the blindfold? And where are we?" Makoto's voice echoed slightly. She heard the sudden click and hum of lights coming on and Kintaro removed her blindfold. She stared in shock.

"There's a challenge this evening for us to watch. And if you really want, I can set up a mock competition for you with one of the champions."

"Really? I'll get to meet them? And try my cooking against one of them?"

"Really. You can challenge any Iron Chef you want, and I'll taste the results," Kintaro was grinning at Makoto's enthusiastic response.

"Before you get too excited, you'll only have time for one dish. Make your best," Kintaro explained. "Then we'll get to watch the competition, and maybe taste the results. Enjoy it, because this is costing my allowance for the month." He grinned at her.

Makoto pushed up her sleeve and flexed her arm. "Yosh!"

Ami, Usagi, and Minako stared at Makoto as she drifted along in a daze. She was humming a familiar tune.

"Are you okay, Mako-chan?" Usagi asked.

"I'm great," Makoto responded. "In fact, I'm the greatest." She brandished a video tape. "The proof is right here."

The girls gathered around and peered at the case.

"Iron Chef? Mako-chan, this is just an Iron Chef episode."

Makoto looked smug. "This isn't just any Iron Chef episode. This is _my_ Iron Chef episode. I'll show you when we get to Rei's."

"Oh," Minako said suddenly. "Kintaro took you to see the Iron Chef last night, didn't he? Did the camera see you in the audience?"

Makoto laughed a bit maniacally. "Not in the _audience_."

They arrived at the shrine. Rei was giving Makoto odd looks as they settled around the TV.

"And now," Makoto announced, "Iron Chef Mako-chan!"


	11. Chapter 11

Haruka raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to go on a date with you?" she said skeptically. "You _do_ realize that I'm a lesbian?"

Kintaro nodded. "I'm not asking you out in hopes of seducing you for a night of passion. Let's just go and have fun."

"And Michiru's okay with this?"

Michiru nodded. "He promised to take me out and seduce me for a night passion, so I figured I should at least let you get to know the guy in my life."

Haruka sighed. Michiru was still mad about the theme park incident. "Okay, fine. What should I wear?"

"Rough durable clothing that you can get dirty and don't mind if it gets torn."

Haruka chuckled. "Jeans and a tee shirt?"

Kintaro nodded.

Haruka mock glared at Michiru. "Don't try to take advantage of my date while I'm changing." Michiru smiled, all wide eyes and innocence.

"So where are we going?" Haruka was curious. Kintaro was wearing jeans and a heavy leather jacket.

"Hill climbing," he said with a grin.

"Hill climbing?"

"I have some friends at Nekomi Tech. They are sponsoring this year's 'Hill Climb' and made it a mixed doubles event. They needed more teams to participate, and I immediately thought of you."

Haruka was slightly confused until they rounded a bend and she heard the roar of motorcycle engines. The steep incline at one end of the open field was torn by tracks. Even as they arrived, a rider made a run at the hill, getting halfway up before loosing momentum and tipping over. Haruka's eyes lit up with anticipation.

"I hope you're good," Kintaro said.

Michiru grimaced as Haruka banged in the front door. She was singing at the top of her lungs. Michiru sighed. Haruka never sang unless she was drunk. Fortunately it wasn't late and Hotaru was watching TV. Michiru made it to the kitchen door before she was accosted by her room mate.

Haruka was filthy. Her tee shirt was torn along one side and she had a shallow scrape that was just scabbing over. She was dirty and sweaty. The seam of one leg of her jeans had split from her knee to her hip and only a belt made of some sort of wiring was preserving her modesty.

On the other hand, she was grinning like a maniac and clutching a trophy. Whatever had happened had been fun, at least to Haruka's warped sense of enjoyment. She grabbed Michiru and kissed her with the same sort of passion they had when they first met. Michiru had time to call out to Hotaru that dinner would be late, before Haruka carried her into their room and closed the door.

"So what brought this on?" Michiru whispered some time later, after a shared bath and other things.

"Onii-chan took me hill climbing."

Michiru blinked.

Haruka grinned again. "We won first place. But it seems Onii-chan has a few things he's not perfect at. Driving motorcycles is one of them."

Michiru nodded as she realized what Haruka was talking about. She waited. Whatever it was would spill eventually. Haruka was horrible at holding stories back. Michiru didn't wait long.

"And then, after the races, this hot, platinum haired chick makes some comment about me and Kin-chan being lovers." Haruka was giggling with suppressed mirth. "And Onii-chan comes back with a snappy comment about collecting lesbians. But this chick, Urd, doesn't believe him. So I jump in and offer to prove it. Onii-chan suggests Urd's sister, this little mousy girl called Belldandy. At least she appears mousy at first, but there's something about her. It's like she's a goddess or something. But anyway, she agrees and I kiss her. And it was like the first time I kissed you, only without all the fireworks. But she melts into my arms and her boyfriend gets all jealous. So I turn her loose and tell him not to worry 'cause I don't steal, and I have a girlfriend already. Then this girl pleasantly thanks me for kissing her and turns and lays one on her boyfriend. The poor boy is so shocked. But I won the bet with Urd and we won the trophy." Haruka pointed at the trophy on the headboard. "The team one is at Nekomi Tech, but it has my name and Kin-chan's on it too."

"How exactly did you kiss her?" Michiru asked archly.

Haruka's grin turned a bit wicked. "Kind of like this." And she leaned over and demonstrated. Michiru melted into her arms.

In another part of Tokyo, two sisters were also discussing the day's events.

"I can't believe you actually let her kiss you like that," Urd said.

Belldandy grinned. "Making people happy is part of our job, onee-san. It made her happy."

"So you could tell from kissing her that she was a lesbian?"

"Of course. Women just don't kiss like men do. But I think she does have some feelings of longing for Kintaro-kun." She turned back to her preparations for the evening meal.

"Bell-chan," Urd said softly. "We _all_ have feelings of longing for Kintaro-kun. Or at least the ideal he represents."

AN: Yet another crossover reference. I don't really consider this a crossover though since this will be the only scene in which the Goddesses appear. I may throw in the You're Under Arrest crowd in a later chapter. Just for fun and mayhem.

Mordae


End file.
